By Zack Ciboth, Sports Editor
The UNC Pembroke volleyball team hit the road Tuesday night to take on the Barton Bulldogs in Wilson, N.C. for a Conference Carolina Clash. It was a back-and-forth affair which saw the Braves claim their sixth straight victory against Barton taking the match 3-2 (20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 21-25, 15-7).
The first set saw the Bulldogs gain the early advantage and take a 9-5 lead until the Braves managed to cut the deficit down to 13-11 at one point. However, the lead and momentum never left the Bulldogs side as they took the hard-fought first set 25-20 to lead 1-0.
The second set saw the Braves respond, jumping out to an early and fast 9-3 lead, but the Bulldogs stayed in the fight the whole set and eventually went on a 4-0 scoring run to find themselves only down 23-19. Then the Braves finished off the set to tie the match at 1-1.
The third set saw the Braves gain the advantage in the match when they took the 2-1 lead with key contributions coming from an ace from Hope Turbyfill that helped give them a 9-5 lead and the Bulldogs quit. When the set was tied 17-17, a crucial kill from Katelyn West gave the Braves the momentum and the lead for good taking the set 25-22.
The fourth set was a hard-fought one with the Braves trying to take the match and the Bulldogs trying to force a deciding fifth set. The fourth set was won by the Bulldogs as they came up with a 25-21 margin. The Braves took the fifth set with ease 15-7.
Vanja Przulj led the way in kills finishing with 26 on the night, West followed with 11 and Ruby Countryman racked up eight. On the assist side, Katie Pressley added to her career total with 52 on the night, Turbyfill had four and Przulj had one assist on the night. Turbyfill had 19 digs on the evening with Kyleigh Coghlan and Przulj following with 14 and 12 digs respectively. At the net Katelynn Swain registered four blocks.
The Braves (8-7, 3-2 CC) will be in action on Friday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court when they welcome Converse (3-9. 2-2 CC) for Social Media Night. The first serve is set for 7 p.m.